


A Vast and Empty Galaxy

by SmoggyFogbottom



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, and the reapers invaded, but we were nowhere to be found, no beta we die like men, what if humans didn't show up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26678842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoggyFogbottom/pseuds/SmoggyFogbottom
Summary: !A Mass Effect AU!Humanity discovers the mass relay system and eagerly begins exploring space like never before, but despite signs of intelligent life and civilizations that came before, they are greeted with a vast and empty galaxy.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Comments: 24
Kudos: 72





	1. Captain David Anderson

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about a Mass Effect AU for awhile and really wanted to give it a shot and write a few chapters. Don't know how much I'll write, but we'll see. The names in the tags are characters I KNOW will be showing up at some point, more may be added. ALSO, this is an AU so forgive any time discrepancies, slight tweaks to canon, things have been altered slightly to make it work. Hope you enjoy!

Humanity is thriving. The discovery of alien ruins on Mars has captured the hearts and minds of the entire human race. Science, religion, and culture has been turned on its head. Some welcome it, some fear it. Surely this was confirmation that we were not alone in the universe – the idea both excited and terrified us in equal measure. The greatest minds began the task of deciphering what this long-lost alien race left behind. The information and knowledge that was found caused a historic leap forwards in technology. It made the twentieth century Space Race look like child's play. The researchers call the alien race ‘Prothean’. Element Zero was discovered. FTL was discovered. However, all this pales in discovery when we stumble across an alien structure on the edge of our solar system. The Mass Relay system is uncovered. 

Every human remembers when the first team activated and used the Relay. The excitement was palpable – human curiosity and the desire to explore had never been higher. However, years passed, and reports began piling up of an empty galaxy. Other than ruins, there did not seem to be any other living civilization. Perhaps the rise and fall of other advanced civilizations had already happened –the galaxy now a graveyard for fallen races. Perhaps humanity was alone in the galaxy, after all. 

* * *

At first, every precaution was taken. Probes were sent ahead to examine the monolith. By all accounts it was completely void of life, completely abandoned by the ones who made it. The further in the probes went, it became more apparent that this expansive object was more a station than some eldritch space monument. It was vast, the scientists excitedly agreed it might have housed millions at one point. The few images that were sent back made it clear it should support life – a station where a civilization might work and live - but each probe they sent fell to the same fate. After exploring the only accessible area, collecting samples, sending back readings and images, the connection cut – leaving the observers on the SSV Hastings sufficiently unnerved. 

“Any progress?” The lab doors opened, heralding Captain David Anderson’s arrival to the ship’s lab. The captain was a tall, lean man who inspired and engendered much loyalty amongst his crew. He was chosen to lead this mission for his tactical mind, but also for the care with which he treated his subordinates. 

Alec Ryder was also a leader, but despite his military accomplishments and N7 status, he was brought onto this mission for his knowledge and research into AI and biotics. He also commanded much respect from those under him, but his stern and often taciturn manner was in stark contrast with Anderson's. 

The two men stared at each other before Ryder frowned, pushing away from his workstation and walking over to the lab’s viewport. He appeared not to visibly acknowledge the captain. Ryder’s subordinates gave each other a knowing look before hunching over their own workstations. 

Anderson sighed and joined Ryder at the viewport, sparing a glance at the reason they were here, an alien structure, made ominous by its very existence. 

“We’ve made progress on the recovered beacon.” Frustration evident in his voice. “But it feels like something in the station is trying to turn us away.” 

Anderson nodded. “It’s a station? That’s something we didn’t know before.” 

“Only a hypothesis. But I know our answers lie there.” He pointed to the monolithic structure, left deserted amid a dense nebula. “We haven’t come all this way to sit around. Whoever left it might have set it to neutralize certain technology – a security measure, perhaps? If we sent a team -” 

“No.” Anderson’s voice was firm. “We need to know more.” 

“Captain, the quickest way to get results would be to send a team -” 

“I understand the sentiment, but this isn’t a race Ryder. We have time to figure this out.” 

Alec Ryder’s eyes burned, but he nodded, deferring to the captain. Anderson looked over to the two women who were pretending not to listen to the conversation. “You said you’ve made progress with the beacon?” 

Ryder finally tore himself away from the sight of the structure and nodded. “We believe it was left for us – for humans specifically. Dr. Cole?” 

“Uh -yes,” She made a flurry of nervous movements, shoving the mess away from her station and pulled up deciphered alien knowledge on the surrounding screens. 

“The information is surprisingly easy to decipher. Whoever created this beacon made it with the idea that an alien race would find it and have no way of understanding their languages or cultural makeup.” She pointed to one screen. “This is the first thing we are shown when the beacon is activated.” Anderson knew enough science to understand that he was seeing a series of common elements. 

“The first here being hydrogen – which I find interesting, as that was the element we used when we sent our first messages out into space with the hopes reaching alien life – it was hundreds of years ago do you think this means they recovered -” 

Ryder cleared his throat. 

“Yep, right – sorry! Next we have this-” She swiped to a new page of information. “From what we gather it’s meant to be an alien version of a Rosetta stone. The first paragraph is the Prothean language – we recognize that much. It appears whoever left this behind made the assumption we would get here thanks to uncovering and understanding Prothean knowledge. Each corresponding paragraph appears to be in a different language and includes an audio file. We assume it is someone reading what has been written. Unfortunately, we only have two linguists, so they are having a hell of a time figuring out things on their own.” 

Anderson pressed his lips into a thin line, deciding whether to encourage the scientist to get to the point, or let her continue to ramble. The other scientist noticed his exasperation and placed a hand on Dr. Cole’s shoulder. 

“Brynn, you should talk about what we discovered this morning.” 

The other scientist flashed him a smile and he nodded in thanks. The dark-haired woman cut a striking figure that was the subject of conversation for many of the men and women in his command. With the science team as busy as it was, he was afraid the gossip of his subordinates was his current source of information on both women. 

“Sorry Miranda. Sirs. It’s all so fascinating. Anyways – this is what you will find interesting. Probably. For strategy.” She cleared her throat and shifted her focus to the holo-pad in the center of the room. “With the help of the linguists we discovered this. They are referred to as the First Race, we believe.” 

A hologram of an alien appeared before them with purple scaley skin, and short ridges or tentacles forming a crest along the top of their head. Everything else about them seemed startingly human, it was unnerving. He stepped closer; spellbound at the first real footage he had seen of alien life. 

“Is this the only image of them?” He asked, finally tearing his gaze from the beautiful alien. 

“In this section, yes. All the other species seem to have images of what we assume to be male and female except this one. Maybe they’re asexual - or maybe there’s no sexual dimorphism – we’re not sure yet. Anyways, this next one is referred to as the Second Race,” The striking purple alien vanished and in their place stood a figure closer to his expectation of what an alien would look like. Tall with spindly arms, they also sported large oval eyes and a pair of thick horns growing out the top of their head. Another similar one appeared, looking barely any different. He had no idea if they were meant to be male and female, he couldn’t tell. 

“Looks kind of – reptilian, amphibian maybe?” 

“Agreed, although I'm sure that will be considered an offensive description if they still exist. And here is the Third Race.” 

The holo-pad displayed a figure more monstrous than the ones before. Standing a good foot or two taller than him, the alien stared straight ahead with eyes that reminded him of a shark. Spikes jutted out past the back of their head and their skin looked to have a metallic sheen. The longer he stared, the more he couldn’t stop thinking they looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a bird. He kept the thought to himself, not wanting the first thing he said about each race be describing them to animals. A second image appeared with a similar figure but without the spiky crest atop the head. 

“We feel this isn’t just an interstellar time capsule. More than just a “hey remember us, we used to exist” message.” Dr. Cole looked carefully over at Ryder, then back to Anderson. “We just need a bit more time to crack it.” 

Anderson nodded. “Agreed - this should be our focus.” 

Ryder’s jaw clenched, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the captain. In an effort to not find himself on the opposite side of this expedition’s science team and a fellow N7 marine, he posed a compromise. 

“Do we have any probes or drones that don't rely on Prothean technology?” 

The alien information cache found on Mars had radically changed many aspects of human life, right down to design and architecture. It was hard to escape its influence these days. 

The doctors looked to Alec then back to each other. “We could probably build one, print out any parts we’re missing. Might take us a few hours to get it ready. Why?” 

Anderson scratched his jawline, suddenly feeling out of his depth surrounded by some of the smartest people humanity had to offer. 

“Ehh, it’s probably nothing – but I’m thinking whatever is happening to our probes, maybe they won’t pick up on human tech – a strictly human design. If it is just an automatic security system, maybe it’s not programmed to go after everything-” 

Dr. Cole snapped her fingers and shot out of her chair. “Like introducing an invasive species – there's no natural predators. Genius. Yes we can do this -” She halted herself and turned towards Ryder. “If that’s okay.” 

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips and he nodded. 

“And Miranda, can you send any information you have on the aliens to my personal console?” 

She gave him a curious look but nodded. His next hour or so would be spent writing up reports for his subordinates. It had been awhile since he’d had to make an intel profile and he never truly cared for it. Better for everyone to know what they might be facing. It was a big galaxy, and it was hard for him to believe that everyone had truly vanished. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we meet Commander Shepard!
> 
> Also Mass Effect Font was made using fontmeme.com


	2. Commander Shepard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mass Effect AU
> 
> During their mission to map out the Mass Relay system, humans discover a nebula which appears to be a junction for many other relays. In it they find a monolithic alien structure, apparently dormant. The team on the SSV Hastings is eager to explore.

In the beginning, the mission promised to be anything but routine. It had captured the hearts and minds of nearly every human. This was exploration of the Milky Way in a way never thought possible before the discovery of the Relay system. What was out their waiting for them? Conspiracies abounded, all more fantastical than the last. 

Turns out there was a whole lot of space. And as the mission fell on the shoulders of the scientists before it could progress, it began feeling very routine. 

Commander Shepard was restless. Anderson’s report on the galaxy’s previous inhabitants had the ship buzzing, but there was still no word on whether they would finally disembark. So she lay in her bunk, staring up at the ceiling above, willing herself to fall asleep. It was a losing venture; she was now halfway into her sleep shift and still wide awake. Close quarters and shared living spaces weren't a problem. She was career military. Beyond that, growing up - her parents had been posted on various ships, space stations, and even Mars, so she was used to cramped quarters and an artificial atmosphere. Unfortunately, this was not the case for others on board. Many of the crew had been born and raised on Earth and despite their training they weren’t exactly handling claustrophobic ship life as gracefully as they could. It meant she was spending most of her time dealing with bitchy humans, rather than exploring new frontiers. 

After a few more minutes of trying to fall asleep, she gave up and rolled out of her bunk. Taking a few seconds, she stretched out her sleepy limbs, hoping to rid herself of the antsiness in her limbs. When that didn’t work, she stepped out into the mess. Maybe a walk would purge whatever restlessness was built up inside. On the far end, a few huddled around what looked to be a horror vid. For a second, she considered joining them but kept moving. If she sat down to watch, she’d never get to sleep. 

After a few cycles around the mess-hall, she stopped at a bank of screens displaying the alien structure they were orbiting. The expedition was at a standstill, waiting for the scientists to do one last probe of the thing. She understood Anderson’s caution, but she like many of the others were eager to explore. It was discovered that the entire relay system appeared to treat this system as a junction. Therefore, the alien structure must be important. The beacon implied it was important – well, what they understood of the beacon. 

She might not be academically minded, but even she knew the significance of what the beacon meant. A lonely little black box, waiting for them as they emerged from the Arcturus relay. It might not have offered the same leap forward as the Prothean cache but was chock full of incredible details. Mostly indecipherable details from well-meaning, long dead aliens, but still. 

Soft footsteps grew louder, and she turned to see Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko making a beeline to where she stood. Despite the limited space on the ship, she didn't know him well - he led the shift opposite of her. Their opposite schedules kept them apart. He smiled and looked at the feed. 

“Commander.” He nodded in greeting. 

“Lieutenant.” She looked at him, waiting to see if he had something to say. 

“It’s kinda eerie, isn’t it? Like that one abandoned house in your neighbourhood everyone is too scared to go near.” His voice had a soft, gentle quality; it helped sooth her sleep starved brain. 

She nodded and shrugged. “Don’t have much experience with houses, but I get it.” 

“Right, spacer.” 

“Yeah, earthling?” She responded with a smile. “Space is a premium on stations and ships, couldn’t really afford to let anything become abandoned.” 

“Well, it’s creepy – trust me.” 

She nodded and they stared at it in silence for a moment. She agreed there was something ominous about an abandoned monolith, seemingly undamaged and with no clue as to its former creators– however the sight of it did not strike the same fear in her heart. She wondered if it had anything to do with growing up in space versus planet side. But before she could continue her thought, or the conversation, they were both ambushed by an enthusiastic Gunnery Chief, wrapping his beefy arms around both their shoulders. 

“So, you guys looking forward to exploring the haunted station?” 

“Haunted - station?” Shepard began with a smirk. 

Alenko took greater offense and pushed the other man’s arm off his shoulder with a frown. 

“We both outrank you, Vega.” 

James Vega grinned. “Yeah, but we’re off duty.” He let his arm drop from her shoulders, stepping back to give them each an appraising look. “Unless you want a salute – sir, yes sir.” He gave a half-hearted salute. Alenko rolled his eyes. 

Shepard stifled a chuckle. “Alright gunny, settle down.” She abided his lack of deference during their down hours. They had worked together in the past and she knew he got the job done. In action and when it counted, he was nothing but professional. 

“Why don’t you tell me about this being a station – you hear something?” 

He shrugged, rolling his muscular shoulders. “Scuttlebutt around the scientists says it’s a station – but it only makes sense, right? It’s how many kilometres long? 40? No way that’s a ship or just some - monument. Too big.” 

He raised his eyebrows and looked disappointed when they didn’t respond with a suggestive rejoinder. 

Alenko began to speak but was interrupted by the ship intercom. 

“Commander Shepard, report to the lab – Commander Shepard, the lab.” 

“Well, it looks like I’ll see you boys later. Off to visit the nerds.” She nodded to Alenko, and gave Vega a teasing smack to the side of his head as she passed. 

Vega rubbed his head, feigning injury before turning back to pester the Lieutenant. 

Smiling, Shepard made her way down the corridor to the elevator at the back of the ship. The lab was on the lower level of the ship, close to the hangar bay. _Best way to dispose of an experiment gone wrong. Right out the hangar airlock._ James exact words during their initial tour of the Hastings. 

Perhaps his gossip was a sign that the wait was over. The thought of being the first humans to explore this ancient technology was exciting. She wasn’t such a hardass that she couldn’t admit this. That being said, she tried her best to rope in that childlike glee – at least in front of her subordinates. 

The elevator chimed; she was on the lower level. The need for sleep had been forgotten. She knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help it. The promise of uncharted exploration was why she joined this expedition. 

Her short commute over, Shepard stepped through the doors to the main lab of the Hastings and was met with a flurry of activity. Not quite the subdued atmosphere it usually boasted. It appeared the wait was indeed over. Scientists buzzed around a table laden with various gadgets, while the captain spoke with Ryder over in the corner. She walked over and stood at attention before them. 

“Shepard, glad you’re here. Have you read the report?” 

“Yessir.” 

He knew she did but asked regardless. 

“At ease. And good – the science team mapped out a small entrance area. For now, we want a small forward team to make their way over and investigate further. Have you given any thought to who you would recommend?” 

Shepard relaxed her stance and looked at him carefully, curious as to why he was asking. She assumed with such an important mission he would handpick the team. 

“That depends, sir. What are the parameters of the mission?” 

He smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of warm eyes. She had the feeling she gave the right answer but was still no wiser to the reasoning. 

The captain looked over to the scientists. “Dr. Lawson, care to walk the Commander through the plan?” 

Miranda looked up with a smile. “Yes, of course.” 

The room stopped for a second while Miranda moved to stand with them. She was stunning to look and listen to; it didn’t take much for most to stop and stare. It would seem the other scientists were no less enraptured by her presence than the soldiers. But the moment was brief, and everyone returned to their own work. 

“Our initial probes deactivated after a certain point, but we designed one that allowed us to capture footage of a sealed off area. We managed to create a floorplan of sorts from the footage.” 

She pulled up an image on a nearby screen. A room shaped like a stylized arrowhead appeared. “We lost connection with all our probes here.” She pointed to what would be the tip of the arrowhead. Four dots were clustered together. 

“I take it you sent four probes?” 

“Five actually. The fifth one is still active.” Miranda offered a look of faint chagrin. “Thanks to the captain, we have a working hypothesis that the station has security settings for prothean influenced technology. Or tech using element zero.” 

“Would Lieutenant Alenko’s presence cause a problem?” 

Miranda shared a concerned look with Ryder. Perhaps an issue that had already been discussed? 

“There’s no way to know for sure.” Ryder began. “Some answers we just don’t have.” 

Shepard nodded. Some of the kids who got eezo poisoning back in the day ended up receiving devastating side effects – and some developed unusual abilities. It had almost shuttered the Prothean research at the time, with many saying it was too dangerous to toy with. Regardless, whether having cancer, or being able to move things with your mind, it meant the individual had element zero nodules throughout their body. Shepard decided it was too much of a risk for a simple exploratory mission. Alenko would have to sit this one out. 

The doctor cleared her throat and turned back to the screen. “In any case this excursion should be short, and it only has three objectives. One, we need to retrieve our deactivated probes. Dr. Cole and the engineers have designed thrusters to make that job easier. Two, we need samples. Normally this would be the probes job, but they deactivated before they could collect everything. I’ve forwarded you a wish list of what we hope you will find – and three, if you see anything that looks like it has been purposefully let behind, collect those as well.” 

“Like the beacon?” 

Her smile lit up her eyes, the idea brightening her entire face. “That would be ideal.” 

Shepard sucked in a stabilizing breath and nodded. Her mind was buzzing – after so much waiting, they were finally moving forwards. 

“Sounds straightforward enough.” 

With his brow creased, Anderson did not seem as excited. Still, he nodded his thanks to Miranda and turned to Shepard. 

“Let’s hope it stays that way. Pick your team and report to the hangar deck by 0700.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will also be from Shep's POV
> 
> Citadel Tower/Council Chamber map belongs to Mass Effect 1 and Bioware.


	3. The Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander Shepard leads a boarding team onto the abandoned station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to confess two things. 1) I know very little about space, oops. bad idea to write a sci-fi fic i guess. 2) i do not understand the design of the citadel tower and elevator when its closed - in fact it got to the point where it ground my momentum for writing this to a halt while I tried researching it. my brother, tired of me complaining, said 'who cares, its an au, write whatever' so thats what I did. hope you enjoy!

“Ok everyone, buckle up. Get your game faces on and all that.” The shuttle pilot called back to them. She was small and feisty and frankly taking after their chief pilot at an alarming rate. Their chief pilot being Jeff “Joker” Moreau. He held too much influence over this young woman, much to the rest of the crew’s exasperation. Their competitive streak was only matched by their flying skills and they constantly egged the other on. 

Shepard stuck her head through the opening. “You’re good with flying this mission?” 

A grin spread across the pilot’s freckled face, revealing a slight gap between her front teeth. Uncontrollable hair was tied messily at the top of head in a manner that was certainly not military reg. By all accounts, an accomplished shuttle pilot, and by her own account, very adorable. A mostly decent pilot, according to Joker. 

“I’m fine.” She patted her chair. “I get to stay in my comfy chair, in my nice, safe shuttle – you guys are the ones who have to scan for alien ghosts or - whatever.” 

“Hey Bailey, can you reach the controls? Need me to grab a couple boxes to see over the console?” Vega called out. Shepard backed away from the cockpit so Bailey’s middle finger could be seen by its intended target. “James, I will leave your dumb ass in the creepy alien station, don’t tempt me.” 

A stern look from Shepard had Vega swallowing whatever retort he had ready. You never piss off your pilot. 

She looked over the assembled squad. In the end her choice fell to Gunnery Chief James Vega, Corporal Kai Leng, and Private Nirali Bhatia. Beyond not being biotic, they each had a skillset she deemed useful for this mission. Leng was a tech expert and a scout. Bhatia’s interest in botany and food science had her spending most of her days with the scientists – her knowledge of what they needed in terms of samples was much more comprehensive than the rest of the jarheads. Vega was here by default; she had worked with him before and could count on him to get everyone to safety if all went to hell. 

Bailey removed the shuttle clamps and maneuvered them out of the hangar bay. The group sat in silence as they shipped out, each with their minds on the mission ahead. Once free from the ship, Bhatia reached over to a nearby screen and pulled up Anderson’s report. The alien images from the beacon popped up and each of them turned to look. 

“Does anyone find it interesting that they’re all so - human looking?” Leng asked while rechecking his gear. 

Bhatia shrugged. “Maybe evolution figured out bipedal works and factory stamped it out to all other worlds.” 

“Nah.” James shook his head emphatically. “We had aliens in our back-yard way back when, right? The Prothean stuff on Mars is ancient – my bet is that we all came from the same aliens.” 

Bhatia and Leng rolled their eyes. “So, these are – what – our cousins a couple times removed?” Leng asked with a withering look. 

“Sure, why not.” 

“Well we’re too late for a family reunion.” Shepard replied. The shuttle neared the monolithic structure, it’s enormous size no longer allowing them to see it in full through the small viewport. 

“Ok folks, I’m sealing off the cockpit, you’re on your own.” Bailey called out over her shoulder. The door slid shut with the familiar hiss of an airtight seal. The only opening to be found on the structure was an access to a shaft that travelled kilometers into the structure before opening into the arrowhead shaped room. The place where all their probes deactivated. The readings that did make it back reported the area should be breathable, but the shuttle would not fit. They would be forced to perform a minor EVA to reach the opening. 

They neared the structure, absolutely dwarfed by its immense size. Bailey brought the shuttle up to the edge of the opening with smooth precision. 

“If they ain’t already, get those helmets sealed.” Her voice filled their comms. Everyone was fully suited up, but without a word, each member of the team also checked their oxygen levels. Breathable or not, they weren’t going to chance getting some alien pathogen into their lungs. 

Finally, the comms clicked again. “Ok, this is as far as I can go.” 

Shepard opened her comm. “Thanks Bailey, you did great.” 

“Aww shucks. No problem boss.” Her teasing tone became professional. “Opening the starboard hatch.” 

Shepard shallowed her breathing, readying herself as their section of the shuttle decompressed. In succession, they each clicked on their boot's magnetics, keeping them attached to the floor of the shuttle. Finally, the door opened, revealing a darkened tunnel they knew to be about three kilometers long. It was spacious for probes or humans, a bit of a tight fit for the shuttle. 

“A doorway left open. Not suspicious at all.” Private Bhatia muttered. The comment snapped everyone out of their gawking pause. This was the only opening on the entire structure, so they were forced to use it – and she agreed, it felt unusual. 

“Alright, listen up. Our jump-jets are more than enough to make this clearance.” Never one to leave things to chance, Shepard insisted on them equipping rappelling cables alongside the jump jets. She’d rather avoid a free fall in the event everything went to shit, or the station activated. “No showoffs, everyone keep your eyes on your readings – don't want gravity to be the thing that does us in. Leng, you’re first – when you arrive at the destination begin scouting the perimeter as soon as you set up the lamps. Vega and Bhatia, you follow with the gear, and I’ll take up the rear.” 

Vega chuckled at either the rhyme or the suggestive connotation, but they each replied with a yessir. Marching order had already been discussed, but it did her well to repeat it. 

Leng swung an equipment bag across his torso and unholstered his Talon pistol, holding it in one hand while using the thrusters of the jump jets to push him over to the opening. Bhatia and Vega shuffled slowly after, their hands on either side of an equipment crate. With the extra cargo, their take off was a little more off kilter. Shepard waited for them to make their awkward jump before following suit. She had armed herself with the M-96 Mattock for this mission. A reliable favourite. She grinned while recalling the scientist’s dismay when they saw the team arming up for the mission. _You aren’t sieging the place,_ Dr. Cole sniffed. None of them planned on exchanging fire, but they weren’t boarding the station without their weapons. 

Her stomach flipped for a moment as all barriers were removed and she witnessed the endless expanse of stars stretching beneath her feet. But the moment passed, and she entered the alien structure. With nothing but their helmet lights to illuminate their path, the moved forward with caution. After a few minutes with no barriers to their progress, the four of them floated forwards with ease. The darkened space revealed nothing to them as they continued on to their destination. The design made no sense to her, she couldn’t get a handle on her surroundings. There were no windows, no ports or hatches that she could detect. Nothing to tell her why this room was the only accessible place on this hulking station. 

“Approaching destination.” Leng called out about 10 or 15 minutes into their travels, focusing her attention. 

They used their jump jet thrusters to moderate their approach, which was now in view - a wide-open door at the end of the tunnel. Once again Shepard felt her stomach flip as she moved to an area where gravity oriented her to another direction. Getting used to a new horizon sometimes took a moment. 

“Seems they have some systems running if we have gravity.” Bhatia remarked. 

Shepard nodded. “And a little concerning our scans didn’t pick it up.” 

Opening her comms, she reached out to the ship. “Hastings, can you hear me?” 

“Loud and clear, Commander.” Came Alenko’s voice after a moments delay. 

“We have reached the destination; I’ll keep comms open in case the brain trust wants to take notes.” 

“Patching them in.” 

Ahead of them, Leng made short work of installing the lamps along the narrow corridor and in a semi-circle around a raised section. They had entered in where it was most narrow. Up ahead, the light illuminated their probes, lying dormant on the ground. 

Trying their best to stay on task, the humans stared up in awe at a vast chamber stretching up meters above them. Shepard pulled up the arrowhead floorplan on her HUD and attempted to orient herself with what she was looking at. They were standing at the tip of the arrowhead shape. Leng had already begun scouting along the perimeter, moving clockwise around the chamber. 

“You guys good?” Shepard asked as the others began setting up. 

“Good as gravy.” Vega said simultaneously with Bhatia’s, “Yes, ma’am.” 

Shepard nodded. “Vega, I’ll stand guard here. Help Leng.” 

Another _yes, ma’am_ faded away from her as he picked up his own Mattock and began scouting counterclockwise. The area was massive, and she preferred it be cleared of potential threat sooner than later. 

Bhatia paused, resting her arms against the crate. “Have any guesses to what this room was, Commander?” 

Shepard took a moment to stare out at the chamber. She strained her neck to take in the gently sloping floor. It was oddly shaped, extremely spacious compared to what a human would ever consider building in space. And even though empty and bare, it was grand in its design. “I’m getting throne room vibes. Also, kinda feels sacred.” 

“Hmm, yeah I get the religious-y feel.” She nodded. “If a throne room, who do you think would have sat in it?” 

“Out of the aliens? My gut says the third race, but I have a feeling the purple ones were called the first race for a reason.” Her head on a swivel, she remained alert while Bhatia unpacked the crate. 

“Maybe it was a touristy area. Like an observation deck.” 

Shepard shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. You'd think it would have a lot more windows or viewports though.” 

“True.” Bhatia grunted with effort as she stood up with an armful of makeshift devices and carried them over to the probes. Shepard followed, helping her fit them on to each one. In theory the devices would auto-pilot each of the dead probes back to the Hastings. 

“Hastings, we are sendin-” 

From the far end of the room a burst of gunfire stopped all conversation. It split the deadening silence of the chamber; Bhatia jumped – adrenaline surged through Shepard’s body. 

“Bhatia, stand guard.” She shouted over her shoulder, while rushing forwards and pressing herself against nearby cover - a strut jutting out from the main wall of the chamber. She switched over to the group comm. 

“Leng, Vega – report!” 

“What the fuck is that!” Leng’s voice echoed down from where they stood, close to the base of the arrowhead shape of this room. The boys didn’t seem to be in immediate danger and after peering into the shadows of their surroundings, she jogged towards them. 

The two stood on a platform jutting out over a darkened lower level. Vega looked angry and had his arm out, holding Leng back. Leng strained against the lieutenant while gesturing to something on the platform. 

“It was coming right for me-” 

“Commander, there was no hostile intent from the - bug.” James interrupted, referencing the expeditions First Contact protocols. He scowled at the corporal. James might be a joker but was a good soldier when it came down to it. If he said Leng was in the wrong, she was inclined to believe him. 

“Stand down, Corporal.” She called out. Leng’s back stiffened, and he took a step back. 

Any words she had ready, died in her throat as she joined them. An aphid looking creature lay on the floor. It was a bug that must have been the size of a dinner table. Before their eyes, it began to dissolve until its entire form was nothing more than sludge. She stepped back; a whiff of an incredibly foul stench made its way passed her helmet’s filters. 

“Commander, I -” Leng began. 

“Save it for later.” Instinctively she stood further away, and they followed suit. She opened comms once more. “Hastings, we’ve had a first contact of some sort – we encountered a creature that does not resemble any of the aliens from the beacon.” 

There was a pause before Ryder’s voice came over her comm. “Gunfire was exchanged.” It wasn’t a question. Another pause. “Does it appear sentient?” 

An important distinction, unlike discoveries of wild fauna planetside where life was abundant, finding it on a space station seemed improbable. And beyond that - whatever this was - it didn’t show up on the initial scans. How could it be a person if it had no life signs. 

“Hard to say -” 

“Boss -” Vega interrupted. 

Thin appendages slowly rose from the darkness and latched onto the platform. A creature, nearly identical to the last one, scraped and pulled its way up from below. 

“Wait a sec, stand by.” She aimed her gun towards it. “Bhatia, get ready to make a quick exit.” 

“Roger.” 

The creature wore what appeared to be a little vest, but as it moved towards the sludgy remains of its kin, it became apparent that it was a backpack of sorts with a little antenna sticking out of the top side. Why would an animal wear a backpack? 

It paid them no mind and instead focused entirely on the sludge. 

“Is it – cleaning up?” Vega whispered. 

“Or mourning?” She whispered back. 

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the still working probe floating towards them. It hovered adjacent to them and on her right, pointing its camera down toward the creature. They watched in silence as it did in fact clean up the remains of its fellow creature, completely ignoring them. Paid them no mind, the killers of its friend. Remembering her rank and mission, Shepard turned away and swept the area, shining a light into the shadows, checking to see if anything else was sneaking up on them. The area remained empty other than the mess they made. Satisfied they were safe, she turned back towards the platform. The bug-like creature finished its cleanup and began slowly moving towards them, its appendages clacking against the metal floor. 

Leng aimed his Talon at it. 

“Corporal Leng!” She shouted as his finger went for the trigger. Her voice echoed throughout the room and startled him enough to miss the creature. The shot cracked the silence of the alien station. Behind his helmet he blinked and looked over at her in confusion. 

“It was coming towards us, I -” 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” James asked, incredulous. 

“Leng, go assist Bhatia.” Shepard’s voice was cold and angry. SHe didn’t have time to deal with whatever was happening with him. Not at the moment. She’d seen something similar once or twice. Without warning a soldier would crack out in the field. Despite training, despite all the tests – they just snapped. They just didn’t have the nerve. The problem here was that Leng was always calm and collected – it was the nature of his specialty. He never lost his nerve. 

“Yessir.” He was reluctant to leave, but not ready to disobey his commanding officer. He would have to be reprimanded later. 

Shaking herself, she stepped out of the path of the creature as it picked up pace. For a moment she wondered if it might follow Leng, but it stopped at the edge of the platform and began manipulating some unseen interface. 

“Do we try talking with it?” Vega watched it with a skeptical eye. The creature stopped moving. It stared straight ahead into the shadows, frozen like a deactivated mech. 

“I - get the feeling it's not a conversationalist.” But what the hell did she know. She assumed another person, even if they were an alien, would have some sort of recognizable reaction upon seeing a bunch of humans walking all over their property. A click sounded near the bug-like creature and all around them the room began to light up. 

“Shit.” She muttered. So much for executing a small, low impact expedition. 

“Shepard, we’re getting crazy readings over here.” Sounded like Miranda had taken over comms from Ryder. “It’s like-” 

“Like this thing is waking up?” She interrupted. 

“Well, yes. That’s one way of putting it.” A pause. “One moment, patching in the Captain.” 

Another moment before Anderson’s voice came through. “Commander, I want you back on the Hastings. If this thing is turning on, I’d like us to observe from a safe distance.” 

“Will do – stand by.” 

Pulling out her scanner, she began collecting readings from the creature. “We’re going to collect the information we can and return to the Hastings. Don’t want this trip to be for nothing.” 

Vega nodded. “Is it biological?” 

“Hmm – hard to say. Not getting a good reading -” Without warning, the creature shifted to its side before collapsing. As with the first one, this also began dissolving into a putrid sludge. 

“Was that you?” 

“It was a standard med-scan. Non-invasive.” She was incredulous. She double-checked her equipment to make sure. After a bit of indecision, she walked towards the sludgy puddle and gathered a sample with the scanner. This was a mystery for the scientists now. 

Looking back at Vega, they both shared the same look of unease before backing away from the platform. Would other creatures come to retaliate, or were they all equally harmless? 

“This is starting to feel like a worn-out welcome situation.” Shepard remarked drily. 

“I hear you boss. Can’t shake the feeling we’ve pissed something off.” 


	4. Intra-ship Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break in the narrative; take a peak at the crew's personal communication.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and Happy Halloween! Not much happens here - it's a very short chapter! I wanted to post something as finishing up the next 3 chapters is taking longer than expected. Also what would Mass Effect be without reading through everyone else's correspondence, lol.

* * *

BC: You hear about Kai?

ML: ....

ML: I heard gossip. Nothing else.

BC: Have you talked with him since they returned?

ML: No, why?

BC: You two are friends, aren’t you?

ML: ....

ML: Our parents are friends.

ML: And shouldn’t you be working on the samples?

BC: I am!!!!!!!!!!! The equipment is slow.

ML: Keep me posted.

BC: ....

BC: ....

BC: So, how well do you know Kai?

ML: Brynn!

* * *

ML: Are you in trouble? Wanted to make sure you were ok. If you want to talk, let me know.

KL: .... 

ML: Do you need a moment? Hearing some gossip around the ship.

KL: im fine Mir. made a call xo didnt like. it happens

-Unsent Draft-

ML: I’m thinking of our last conversation and am concerned this is partly my faul-

* * *

My new program is making translation 1000x easier. Also not sure what those jarheads did, but when the station began activating, new information from the beacon became available – it’s mostly useless until we can translate it, but still interesting! Some new images are highlighting a system, that judging by our own star charts, shouldn’t be too far from here using FTL. Perhaps we were meant to come here and trigger the beacon? Will keep you posted as soon as new info comes through.

-Gav

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mass Effect font from fontmeme.com


	5. The SSV Hastings: The Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crew of the Hastings discuss what happened on the alien station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Folks, I really tried to get this chapter finished by N7 day, but everytime sat down to edit, its like my brain forgot how to read and write.

Nirali stepped into the ship’s lab, surprised to be greeted with silence. It was nearly empty, a stark difference from her last visit. Brynn was the only one present, sitting at her station, her nose a hairsbreadth away from her work. 

“You'll go cross-eyed if you’re not careful.” 

The scientist shot up in her chair, shocked and seemingly unaware of her arrival. 

“Nirali, glad you’re here.” She patted one of the seats beside her. 

“We’re you able to translate the biology section?” Nirali asked, sitting next to the scientist. In another life she and her husband wanted to run a restaurant together, but here she was, a marine far from home. Her husband was lightyears away on Mars, a civil servant. Didn’t mean her interest in anything culinary had waned. She was obsessed in finding out what aliens ate. Did they have similarities, were there differences? She wanted to know. 

“What? Oh – not yet.” Brynn rubbed her eyes and switched her screen. “I heard things got a bit spicy on the station, feel like confiding in your old pal?” She wriggled her eyebrows. 

“We’re old pals now?” She looked around the empty lab. The lights were lowered, and the powered-on screens remained the primary light source for the room. “Where is everyone? You and Miranda are inseparable, aren’t you?” 

Brynn waved her hand dismissively. “Miranda’s discussing things with Alec. Everyone else is dealing with the probes – figuring out what went wrong.” 

“And you? What are you doing?” 

“Trying to interpret a grander meaning with everything we are learning.” 

Nirali rolled her eyes. “You have nothing to show me, do you?” 

“Hold on, hold on, I'm getting it ready – in the meantime – talk to me.” 

“About what?” 

“The mission! What happened with Kai?” 

Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact she probably wouldn’t be pouring over any new translations from the beacon. She had been lured here on false pretenses. “Haven’t you read the mission report?” 

“Yes, but how was Kai acting during the mission? Normal?” 

Despite being annoyed, she decided to humour the woman. “As normal as usual. Normal for him is a bit smug if you ask me. Arrogant.” 

“And that’s how he acted this time?” 

She shrugged. Kai maintained a baseline smugness that came through in the way he walked, in the way he talked – but it was earned. He was good at what he did. Except - 

Except on the station. When he returned to help her, there was a moment she couldn’t explain. He was scared, she could see it in his eyes. And he wanted to go back, he wanted to return to where the commander stood. Like he was fighting an impossible compulsion. She saw it for a second or two and then it vanished. The same old dependable, sure of himself corporal had returned. 

“He had a moment, but I don’t blame him. That thing just hanging in space abandoned? It’s creepy as hell – gets under your skin. Puts you on edge.” 

Brynn sighed, clearly disappointed with the answer. “Fine. You military types are no fun.” 

“Because I’m not gossiping? And why do you care about Leng all of a sudden?” 

She continued, completely avoiding the question. “You know, I could force you to tell me everything – it might be useful data to put towards my research.” 

Nirali was about to remind her that the official report was free to read, when the console emitted a series of low beeps. The conversation forgotten; Brynn pulled up the screen she had been working on, squinting at a block of text. 

After a moment of silence, Nirali nudged her arm. “Anything important?” 

“Maybe -” Her lips moved, silently reading whatever was before her. “Hmm - looks like Gav’s translation program is finally producing results.” 

“Gav?” 

“Uh yeah, Gav – Dr. Archer. This station has a name – well, of course it does - but he thinks he figured it out.” She looked over with an elated grin. “He's fairly certain the proper translated meaning is fortress. Could be castle, or citadel. It still has a hefty margin for error.” 

Brynn continued scanning the text, prompting Nirali to nudge her again. “C’mon, out with it.” 

After another moment of silence, she sat back in her chair. “Weird. There’s a nearby system -” 

Brynn trailed off once more. 

“Yeah, I’m aware. Didn’t think it was weird though.” 

Brynn pulled up the galaxy map and zoomed into their location. “When the station activated, there were pages of information that appeared in the beacon – like it triggered something.” She pointed to the nearby system. “Gav thinks the beacon wants us to rendezvous there.” 

The idea sent a chill down her spine. “Rendezvous with what? Friend or foe? Should we even trust it?" 

Brynn shook her head and shrugged. “I suppose it depends how badly we want to chase answers.” 

* * *

“You went to Anderson over me?” 

Miranda shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other and stared ahead at the man pacing the floor of his own office. 

“He _is_ the captain.” 

Alec sighed as if he contained the weariness of the entire human race. She was certain she heard him curse scientists under his breath. 

“I’ve given you a lot of leeway because you’re smart and you get things done. But don't forget that I am your immediate supervisor – you will report to me first." 

She pulled at her sleeves, smoothing the wrinkles out before looking back to him. “Anderson asked for my opinion and I gave it. And he is right. This isn’t a race – we aren’t on competing teams. Who I report to shouldn’t matter.” 

The response was not what he wanted to hear. 

“You scientists need to follow the chain of command, or did you think you were above it?” The question felt rhetorical, so she did not answer. Miranda was keen enough to research the people she would be spending months with. She was aware that Alec Ryder had joined this mission with an ulterior motive, and she assumed it was why he was so desperate to continue exploring the station. What it was – she didn’t know much, not yet. Something to do with a personal project, something that forced the man to go to her father for help. Right now, she was feeling petty enough to prod him until he slipped up. To hold what she knew above his head. But she knew how to pick her battles, and now was not the time. 

“It’s a mistake to leave it.” Alec muttered to himself. 

“I recommended we leave probes to monitor the station and drop back to a nearby system in the event the station automates a weapon or security system. There are other planets in this nebula that we still need to report, might as well do this while we wait.” 

Alec grumbled, but didn’t say anything. Maybe he saw the wisdom in her suggestion, but he would be damned to admit it. Feeling like pushing her luck, she continued. 

“I also voiced my concern over Corporal Leng’s punishment, I don’t see what the problem is. Ship leadership is overreacting.” 

Alec stopped and turned to face her. “We are being careful.” He scowled. “And Leng’s overreaction cost us the exploration of the station.” 

She bit back her words, knowing it wouldn’t get her what she wanted. Kai was at the center of a ridiculous scandal; one she didn’t understand. It was a military thing, she assumed. Following orders without question was expected, and not doing so, even for minor offenses was apparently a punishable act. 

“We are living under unusual circumstances – surely that will be considered.” 

Alec sighed again, clearly not willing to discuss this with her. “Lawson, he’s being excluded from away team missions for the foreseeable future. I hardly call that punishment.” 

Knowing Kai, he would consider it punishment. Personally, he was here for the adventure, and nothing else. 

“We don’t have a lot of people to spare – and he was picked because -” 

“He's here largely because of your father’s influence.” His face was impassive, but his tone was cold. “And your father isn’t here, so you need to learn to accept you won’t always get your way.” 

Miranda seethed, but she turned the anger inwards and offered a serene smile. Even here, lightyears from Earth, she was victim to her father’s influence. 

She earned her spot on this team, but no one saw it that way. She didn’t even think her father saw it this way. Everything she did would always be stained by his actions. Even now, with Alec, a man who was usually stern, but fair – he was holding her connection with her father over her head. 

She did not leave on good terms with her family. Her sister was upset she was being left behind; Miranda had been upset with her father interfering in ways only he could. Their fight before she left was one of their most damaging yet. Ironically enough, it was an argument about Kai and what being on this team would mean for her. 

She wasn’t even sure why she cared so much about what happened to Kai – afterall, it was his inclusion that made her furious with her father to start with. Was she subconsciously doing what her father wanted, even now? 

Gathering herself with a stabilizing breath, she nodded. “You’re right, of course. I don’t expect to get my way. But you value my opinion – you should still value it even when you disagree.” 

* * *

Operations Chief Ashley Williams sat in the mess-area of the SSV Hastings, trying not to stew over recent events. Their mission was chiefly scientific – primarily exploratory - and everyone on board was handpicked or recommended. At times, this left military hierarchy feeling off kilter. For the most part, everyone was a stranger. At best, acquaintances. They were each pulled from their own units and shoved together, with the expectation that their military training and discipline would smooth out any wrinkles. Back on Earth, Private Bhatia and Corporal Leng were both in her squad, both below her rank. It chafed her to not know what was happening. She didn’t know the Commander well enough to know if she was a fair officer; especially where discipline was a concern. Especially considering the matter needing discipline. She knew Leng fell in the camp of "if aliens exist we shouldn't lead them back home", but wasn't prepared for his "at all costs" attitude. Didn't matter that the creatures looked like bugs, folks were pretty pissed at his rash actions. Selfishly, all Ashley could think about was the stigma the Williams name carried and what this meant for her.

Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko stepped into view, interrupting her thoughts before they got more cantankerous. In his hands he held two bottles from the ship’s supply of weak-ass beer. One was open, the other he handed to her. 

“You know, when I heard the quartermaster approved an alcoholic beverage ‘for the crew’s morale’, it didn’t occur to me they’d settle for the cheapest beer possible.” 

She smirked and cracked open the lid. “This was a surprise to you?” 

He shrugged and sat in the seat next to her. 

“Here’s to finding alien hops on the next planet we land on.” 

She grinned, despite her mood. “Think we can convince the egg-heads of the scientific benefits of making alien moonshine?” 

“That’d be nice.” He took a sip of his drink and they sat in silence for a moment. Eventually he turned to her with a weird look. “You ok?” 

Ashley shrugged. “I suppose.” It was her turn to eye him with a curious expression. “Why do you ask?” 

“You have been moping ever since the team returned from the station – making sure everything’s good.” 

“I’m not moping. Sir.” She added. He outranked her after all. She took a swig of the drink and scowled. She had a feeling he sought her out for a very specific reason. 

“Sir. Would we be having this conversation if I wasn’t the granddaughter of General Williams?” 

The blunt way of asking had the desired effect. He pulled away, distancing himself physically from the question. But her bluntness wasn’t enough for him to leave her alone. 

“I won’t pretend it didn’t have any bearing on this, but you haven’t exactly been subtle, Williams. Short temper - snapping at people. I was hoping to talk with you quietly, before it became - a thing.” 

Ashley sighed and her posture deflated. She stared into the bottle of her drink while speaking. 

“That obvious, huh.” 

“Don’t worry, most only think you’re being an asshole because the Commander didn’t include you on the mission.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, that makes me feel better.” 

The Prothean relics on Mars created a massive cultural shift on Earth. A lot of things changed. The Williams family always held strong religious convictions. It was incredible to think that after dozens of generations all it took was the revelation of the existence of aliens to fracture her family and their beliefs. What the hell was faith if it could be shaken so easily. And her grandfather. The General. She winced. It wasn’t her intention to try and get ahead of his “legacy”, but here she was, trying to prove everyone they were wrong about her family whether they cared or not. 

“Do you want to talk about whatever’s bugging you?” 

She remained silent for a few seconds, pretending to consider the offer. “I’m good. Thanks. I’ll course correct.” 

He looked reluctant to drop the subject but nodded. “If you ever need someone to talk to -.” 

“Yep, thanks. Sir.” 

She gave him a smile and watched as he walked away. He stopped to chat with the shuttle pilot – something Bailey – she couldn’t remember the full name. The conversation was short, and they parted ways, he turned towards the crew quarters. The Lieutenant was a good senior officer and nice enough as a person, but there was a small, tiny part of her brain that considered him competition. Maybe resented him a little bit. He could damage someone’s nervous system with his mind and was still getting promoted, while she felt stuck because her grandfather had a moment of insanity. 

As Alenko stepped out of view, she watched Commander Shepard leave the crew quarters and make her way towards the bathrooms. Downing the rest of the terrible beer, she stood up and moved to follow the commander. 

The door slid shut behind Shepard, and Ashley stopped - the thought that this might not be the most appropriate confrontation passed through her mind before the traitorous doors opened on their own. Damn sensors. The commander looked up from cleaning her teeth to offer a nod of recognition. Ashley stepped in and the door closed again, leaving them alone. 

“Williams.” The commander said in greeting. 

“Commander.” She realized in an instant she wasn’t sure what she wanted to articulate. "I-” Her voice trailed off. 

“You here to complain about Leng too?” She asked, before returning to her teeth cleaning. 

“No … no.” She leaned against the nearby wall, wondering who else was complaining. “I - permission to speak freely?” 

The Commander made a half-hearted gesture to continue. 

“I’ve worked hard my whole life - and considering how you handled Leng – I’m worried that I won’t have a chance to prove myself.” Taking a deep breath, she rushed out the rest of the sentence. “Because of my grandfather.” 

The Commander paused and looked over at her, confusion apparent in her expression. 

“Your grandfather?” 

Ashley nodded. “General Williams -?” She prompted. 

She watched the mental connections play across the Commander’s face before realization sunk in. Rinsing out her mouth, she turned to Ashley, looking at her directly. 

“I will only say this once, so listen carefully. Your history, your family history, your personal opinions - doesn’t matter, not to me. If you are under my command, I judge you by your actions and your ability to follow orders.” 

The tone was sharp, and she sounded weary of explaining herself, but strangely, Ashley found her words comforting.

“Which is why I recommended discipline for Leng. He disobeyed orders, nothing more, nothing less.” 

Ashley stood straight, not feeling happy, but better than she had been. "That's good to -"

The intercom chimed, interrupting the conversation. "Commander Shepard report to XO offices, Shepard to XO."

The Commander's shoulders sagged and she cursed under her breath.

"Never ends, eh sir?"

Her mouth pulled into a lopsided grin. "Never." 


	6. An Empty Galaxy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SSV Hastings travels to a nearby system within the Serpent Nebula.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so November just passed by and I only posted one chapter. I did try to sit down and really finish what i started, I promise . Fingers crossed for this month!

The SSV Hastings was on course to the nearest system, leaving behind the station and the ship’s recovered probes. The idea was to place them far enough away and monitor the station from a safe distance. Shepard stood in the XO office surrounded by Captain Anderson, Alec Ryder, and Miranda Lawson, listening while they discussed next steps. The group was not on the same page and it gave the room an odd energy. She held back and remained silent. Another round of disagreements passed between them, arguing the merits of the beacon’s trustworthiness. Officially they were scanning the planets of the neighbouring systems while the station finished whatever it was doing. The popular assumption was activation. Unofficially the captain wanted to investigate the beacon, which meant following the leads it offered up. It was a point of contention amongst the mission’s leadership. 

She reached towards the galaxy map, zooming into the system of planets they were approaching. From what they already knew, the only habitable world was the second planet from the central star. The plan was to scan each of the planets, take samples, record the existence of past civilizations – if there were any, and then return to the activating station. The idea was to remove the ship from any sort of immediate retaliatory range. They would return to poke the sleeping beast when the scientists were confident it was safe to do so. Which meant more waiting for the restless crew. 

Frustrated at the direction of the conversation, Shepard returned her attention to the group and cleared her throat. They each turned to look at her. As much as she wanted to explore more of the station, she agreed with the logic of following the beacon scavenger hunt. If the previous inhabitants of the galaxy wanted them to know something, it would probably be best to figure it out. 

“We’re talking in circles. None of us can be absolutely sure of the creator's intentions for the beacon.” She said, giving each one of them a pointed stare. “But seeing the remnants of what they left behind, if they wanted us dead, we wouldn’t have made it out of the first relay alive.” 

Miranda nodded eagerly, gesturing towards her while looking at Ryder. Clearly this was a hot topic between the two. 

“Thank you, Shepard.” Anderson nodded. “I agree with Miranda – the beacon was left for us to find. And there’s no need to lure us to an out of the way system to destroy us.” 

Shepard grinned. “Right, like I said – if they still exist, they could destroy us wherever.” 

Ryder sighed. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he shook his head. “Leaving the station feels like giving up the high ground. I don’t like it.” 

“Noted, but the ship is already heading towards the neighbouring system. With any luck this diversion will give us time to understand the station. I’d like to avoid randomly pressing buttons and hoping for the best.” He and Ryder shared a look before he turned back to her. “And Shepard please get everyone up to speed on first contact protocols.” He paused for a moment. “You are dismissed.” 

She looked at each of them, not expecting the abrupt dismissal. The energy of the room shifted from odd to awkward. Saluting, she nodded to the others and turned on her heel. What the hell was that about? It was the captain’s right to share or withhold information – but this didn’t sit well with her. She’d file that away as something to investigate later. Instructing the rank and file on the old alien protocols wasn’t exactly something she cared to do, but if the captain wanted it done, she’d get it done. Hell, if it meant avoiding another trigger-happy situation, it might be worth the effort. 

* * *

Shepard stood in front of a group that looked as bored as she felt. The others were as keen to re-learn the protocols as she was to teach them. And the boys were acting out. 

“Do you have any questions?” 

She glared, silently daring anyone to talk. James looked at Leng and then back to her with a shit eating grin. “So boss, you’re saying we’re not supposed to shoot the aliens?” 

Leng scowled. “Hey fuck you, Vega.” 

James winked at the corporal. 

“Both of you -” 

Alarms rang throughout the ship, interrupting her rebuke. Emergency lights flashed and Shepard waited for an emergency message that never came. There wasn’t a single chance to get a bead on the situation as the ship shuddered violently. The sound of sheering metal filled the area, so loud it made her teeth ache. All at once everyone drifted up off the floor. The artificial gravity failed. The silence was most telling, the familiar hum of the ships daily operation was gone. Stifling the panic that threatened to take over, she let her body slowly drift up to the ceiling before using it as leverage to push herself back down. Activating her mag-boots, she settled securely on the floor of the mess. Other than herself and Bhatia, the others had been sitting and avoided falling up. Leng reached over to Bhatia and pulled her down next to him. 

She radioed Joker but was only greeted with silence. She tried Anderson and a few others, same result. A dull knocking came from the crew quarters. Whatever was happening, it appeared the ship had activated lockdown protocols, sealing all doors to non-essential areas. 

“Vega, you and Leng check all of the sealed doors. Make sure the people stuck on the other side are uninjured. See if there’s a way to free them. Bhatia, with me – we're heading to the CIC. See if we can find what the hell is going on.” 

James looked disappointed with the command but nodded. He wanted to be where the action was, but she needed someone she could trust here. 

Nodding, Shepard rushed – as fast as the magnetized boots would let her – towards the elevator. It was locked down, of course, but she reached up to a hatchway built into the ceiling above. Pulling on both of its locking mechanisms, the hatch unsealed and popped open, a ladder immediately descending. 

“What do you think happened?” Bhatia looked around, visibly shaken. 

“You ok, Private?” 

She nodded, breathing heavily. “Yeah. I think. Going over the alien protocols and then this – it's got me thinking a certain way.” 

“Understood. Could be aliens - right now it's our job to find the problem and work out a solution. One step at a time” 

“One step at a time.” She repeated. 

Shepard released her mag boots and relied on the lack of gravity to pull herself quickly up through to the next deck. Repeating the process from the first hatch, she released the locks and floated up into the chaos above. No ranking officers as far as she could tell. Crew scrambled to regain access to consoles and other tech. One looked up from the floor, their arm elbow deep in wires, trying to fix – something. 

“Commander!” 

“What the hell happened?” 

He didn’t stop what he was doing, and his attention turned towards his work. 

“Not quite sure, we may have hit something. Joker’s trying to get control back.” 

“Shit.” Scanning the CIC again, no one appeared to be injured badly. A couple bumps and bruises looked to be the extent. “Bhatia, see what you can do to help." Shepard was already heading to the cockpit. Hopefully Joker could provide some clarity. 

The ship shuddered again, and she braced against a nearby chair, thankful it was bolted into the floor. A low humming vibration started rattling through the exterior of the ship. 

A piercing whine erupted from the bow of the ship, followed by a searing white light. A moment of overwhelming pain pierced her mind, she heard cries of pain from her shipmates, and they were the last thing she heard before losing consciousness. 


	7. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates. I wanted to get this chapter out by Christmas, but best laid plans and all that. I hope whatever you're doing, you're staying safe and cozy!

The alarm pierced through Shepard’s unconsciousness. The ship’s alarm. Its constant dull tone grew louder as she pushed away from the haze of her current state.The second thing she became acutely aware of was a dull ache in her gut. Slowly blinking her eyes open, it took a moment to understand what had happened. Her legs and arms felt unbearably heavy. A weight seemed to push her down onto the hard edges of the chair – and there was the source of discomfort. She had collapsed over the chair, its armrest digging into her stomach. A quick check of her body assured her there were no breaks or serious injuries. Her stomach on the other hand had turned a violent shade of purple and black, an ugly bruise that ached in equal measure. 

Her arm slipped as she pushed herself up, and a wave of dizziness hit. Muttering curses, she staggered to her feet, taking a moment to understand her surroundings. Every step she took was difficult, like her limbs were being weighed down. Twice she stumbled over nothing, trying to walk a straight line. 

Kneeling next to Bhatia, she quickly checked her vitals and then for any obvious sign of trauma. A nasty gash split both her forearms. Backtracking towards the elevator, she noticed others - all in various states of disarray - begin stirring. Reaching a small square hatch built into the wall of the CIC, she popped it open and retrieved the medkit. 

Bhatia was already waking as she returned, and Shepard ripped open the kit, applying the medigel as quickly as possible. As she woke, Shepard helped her into a sitting position. 

“You okay?” She asked, once the woman had a chance to orient to her surroundings. 

“Thanks.” The Private inspected her newly treated wounds. “What the hell happened?” 

“No clue. I think we're in atmosphere though.” 

“What!?” 

It was her best guess. The heaviness dragging her down reminded her of that one vacation she took on Earth. Felt like gravity was going to push her through the surface of the planet. 

“Can you check on the others, see who needs immediate attention - do you feel up to it?” 

Bhatia paused as she tested her limbs and balance. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“Good. I’m going to check on Joker, see if I can get an idea of our situation.” 

Standing up, despite wanting to lie down on the cool floor, Shepard pushed her way to the cockpit of the Hastings. 

Joker slumped forwards, his seat harness the only thing keeping him upright. As she reached over to check his vitals, he startled awake, looking around the cockpit with wild eyes. 

“Joker-” 

“Fucking hell – piece of shit -” He continued with a rambling string of curses, pausing to wheeze and cough. “Got some broken bones. Yep, definitely broken.” 

“Joker, what’s going on?” 

“I lost control of my damn ship!” He looked at her like she had asked why humans breath. 

“Elaborate.” She pushed herself into the co-pilot's chair. 

“You’re killing me here, Shep. Pass me my kit first.” 

Turning to look in the direction he was staring, she spotted a kit that had been knocked out of its place, spilling its contents across the floor. Scooping everything up she handed it to him and he began treating his own wounds. 

“Need help?” 

“Nah.” He gasped in pain, but she let him be. All she could do was slap some medigel on him. 

After a minute, he sighed. “Came out of FTL and we were immediately hit with some kind of pulse. Acted like an EMP. We were able to get some power back – life support – but by that time the Hastings was being towed.” He winced while gingerly touching his chest. 

“Towed? By what?” 

He shook his head. “Don’t know. Got knocked out as soon as we hit atmo. This is the second planet from the star though; I was able to figure that much out.” 

Standing up, she hit the button to open the shutters of the Hastings viewport. The metal plates released and slid away – they both squinted as bright light flooded the cockpit. As her eyes adjusted, the first thought was one of unarticulated loss. She couldn’t place it exactly, she had no reasoning for it, but beyond the viewport was a world both ancient and forgotten. The ruins of what once was a modern city lay under aggressive vegetation. Alien trees and vines had sliced through toppled skyscrapers with ease. Much of any recognizable civilization had been reincorporated back into nature. From what she could tell it appeared their ship came to land next to one of the only buildings that hadn’t completely collapsed. 

Only one thought kept circling her brain; What could have collapsed a civilization so thoroughly? 

* * *

_Official report is attached, but to summarize – things could have been much worse. Everyone lost consciousness and without being properly secured and without artificial gravity, entering this world’s atmosphere could have been disastrous. At the very least, no one died. For now, focus is on triage and getting everyone on their feet. A team is being assembled to see if we can find out what brought us down to the surface and how we can neutralize it in order to leave._

“I don’t want to hear it.” Anderson grumbled, looking up from his messages. Ryder sat down in the chair opposite his desk, with a shadow of a smile on his face. 

“Don’t want to hear how this was meant to be the safer of the two options?” 

Anderson sighed. “Yeah, that.” 

“We weren’t blasted out of the sky, so take comfort in that. Shepard is assembling a crew to inspect the outside of the ship. Shortly, we should have a better idea of what happened.” 

Anderson swallowed his pride and nodded. Despite the outcome, he still held the belief that stepping back from the alien monolith was the correct decision. Being forced to land on an alien planet was better than the station coming online and deciding they were a threat. 

“If they’re back online, I want the team to take a couple LOKI mechs with them. I know they’re eager to explore an alien world, but I want the mechs to be up front.” 

Ryder narrowed his eyes but nodded. He was biting his tongue. 

“If you have something to say Alec, say it.” 

Anderson wondered if he should take offense with how quickly Ryder responded. Barely waiting for an opportunity to speak his mind. “You’re playing it too safe – we’re explorers, risk is part and parcel to what we are doing.” 

This was true, Anderson couldn’t debate the fact. True that he was playing it safe, and true that risk was a part of this mission. 

“We are explorers, yes. And while we don’t know what's ahead of us - I will try my damnedest to protect the people serving on this mission.” He reached to his console and exited out of the report. “And if we discover the station held no danger to us, I’ll owe up to my poor decisions.” 

* * *

“If we have to stay behind these slow-moving shits, I’ll shoot them myself.” James grumbled, to no one in particular. LOKIs had their uses, but when they were setting your pace, they felt barely ambulatory. 

“It’s from the top.” Shepard quipped. 

“Apparently, the Captain will be less grieved if the mech gets attacked.” Williams interjected. 

Regardless, Shepard ground her teeth at having to keep pace. She could say she simply controlled her annoyance better than James, but that was only mostly true. Being a born and raised spacer, it took her a few seconds to adjust to non-artificial gravity. The slow pace of the mechs gave her that time. 

Williams motioned with a scanning device. “Atmosphere is breathable – not quite the same mixture of gases we’re used to on Earth, but mostly oxygen.” 

“We could take our helmets off and survive is what you're saying?” Vega inhaled deeply. 

“Don’t take your helmets off.” Dr. Cole’s voice barged in on their coms. “We didn’t come all this way for you to contract space flu and die.” 

The nearby soldiers chuckled at the outburst. 

“Space flu – is that the academic term?” Shepard asked. 

“It’s an effective term. Now please, hurry up and do your thing – we're all itching to get out and stretch our legs.” 

Shepard rolled her eyes and motioned everyone forward. They exited the ships ramp and she turned to face the ship, giving everyone watching through her body cam a view of the exterior. A large circular device was clamped on to the edge of the ship. She estimated the diameter to be about four metres. Walking a bit further out from the side of the Hastings, she spotted another one further down the ship. 

“I think we’ve found what pulled us in.” She touched the side of her helmet and zoomed in on the object. “Don’t see any propulsion – engines, of any kind -.” 

Nor were there any markings, not a piece of it that she could equivalate to something of human origin. Circling around the ship, she counted four of these devices. 

“What do you say, cut them off, or figure out how to remove them whole?” Williams asked. 

“That’s a question for the scientists.” Shepard muttered. Bright light temporarily scattered across the area in an odd pattern. She turned around and looked for a sign of something – _weird_. What counted as weird on an alien planet, she wasn’t sure. The light scattered again, and this time she caught a reflection off the nearby tower. She raised her rifle and waited, watching. Clouds drifted by overhead, dulling the light of the sun. The reflection vanished. Weird. 

“See something Commander?” Lawson’s voice asked over coms. 

Shepard kept forgetting about the body cam. “Not sure.” She replied with absent attention. She supposed the scientists weren’t keen on staring off into overgrown wilderness, when there was an alien device clamped onto the ship. 

“How soon can we join you?” Lawson asked. 

“Not yet. We’re going to clear a perimeter around the ship.” 

“And how soon will that take, do you think?” Dr. Cole interrupted, her tone impatient. 

Shepard frowned. “However long it takes.” Her voice was stern, and it left no invitation for argument. Cutting off the feed from the cam, she turned to Williams and Vega. “The others will stay here and guard the ship. You two with me - plus a LOKI, are going to make sure this tower is clear.” 

“Something off, boss?” 

She looked up again at where she saw the reflection. Nothing to see but an abandoned and partially collapsed building. “Maybe, maybe not. The ship was dragged here for a reason. Gotta gut feeling we’ll figure it out in there.” 

“Could be a remnant of an automated defense system, you think?” Williams looked up in the same direction, trying to spot what caught her attention. 

Unbidden, a chill ran up Shepard’s spine. “Let’s hope that’s it.” 


	8. First Contact

“Anyone wonder what ended all these civilizations?” James asked, walking backwards as the LOKI mech climbed up another wide flight of stairs. Thanks to the mech, their progress was mind numbingly slow.

Williams shuddered. “Tryin’ not to, thanks.” She sidestepped a crumbling portion of the stairs. “And watch where you’re going, gunny. This whole building’s about to fall apart.”

Wondering what happened to the galaxy was a reoccurring question for Shepard. These thoughts only increased since landing on the planet. She was beginning to understand the apprehension the others felt about the abandoned station. It hadn’t affected her as much – even an abandoned alien station only contained a limited amount of security risks. But here she was, being similarly discomforted by the empty planet. Not a single remaining soul? Seemed suspect. Felt more eerie than an abandoned station ever could.

“Hey guys, find anything yet?” Dr. Cole’s voice filled their helmets.

Shepard sighed. “No. You get the probes working yet?” She vaulted over a fallen pillar and waited for the mech to circle around it. “It would speed this up.”

“Hah, sure but we’re doing half a dozen things already.”

“Yeah, imagine that?” Shepard quipped, a smile in her voice.

“Shepard, a few floors above you it looks like there’s a covered balcony – it is buttressed against the cliffside.” Miranda interrupted. Images from the ship’s cameras were transferred to her helmet’s HUD, showing the approximate location of the balcony, relative to where they were. “It’s hard to tell from this angle, but it looks like similar tech to what’s attached to the Hastings.”

Shepard shared it with the others. “We’ll take a look.”

The tower’s balcony was at the halfway point of the building, give or take. Gave them some bearing on their progress. Looking at the image, she moved so she could see up the stair well. Couldn’t see much.

“See anything boss?”

“Nah. Too much debris. Keep going and be careful.”

They fell into single file, their hard suits scraping against collapsed walls and metal grates. Now their pace matched the mech naturally. Slowly but surely, they made their way up the next few flights. Arriving at a wide open landing, the mech paused and she nearly ran into it. The exterior wall of the the stair well had been blasted away, giving a free view of the ship below. If she estimated correctly, they should be level with the balcony.

“We got a door.” She called out over her shoulder. The mech issued an alarm before stepped out onto the landing.

“That’s worrying.” Williams crouched, trying to see between their legs. “Any problems?”

Shepard did a quick scan. Her helmet was equipped with infrared scanners, didn’t do much good here. “Not sure, but we got uneven terrain.” The door in question was partially open, and a piece of the wall rested against it, preventing it from sealing. Looking through, she could see a sliver of the balcony at the end of a corridor, nearly obscured behind a layer of stubborn greenery.

“Well – other than some overgrowth, we should have a clear run to the balcony.” She turned to the mech. “LOKI, open the door.”

As much as they griped about them, there was no way they could have bypassed as many of the sealed entries without it. Aliens built their entries and exits with blast doors, apparently. She stepped out of its way and with one backward step, a floor panel buckled underneath her weight. She stopped and shuffled carefully to another panel.

“Wait.” She held up her hand and both James and Ashley froze where they stood. Both at the edge of the landing. “Floor’s not sturdy – we might have to do this one at a time.”

“Or use our jump-jets.”

The area filled with the sound of creaking metal as the doors were pried open. The chunk of wall propping the door ajar, fell to the ground with a thud. It was followed by a trickling of dirt that turned into a torrent, and all at once the floor gave way. Her stomach dropped as she free fell; the feeling of a thousand missed steps in the dark, all at once. Falling debris knocked her around, disorienting her, she barely made it down a level before activating the jets and careening wildly up through the newly opened door. The recovery lacked finesse and she found herself sprawled spread eagle across the floor. She had knocked the mech into a similar inglorious position next to her.

“Boss -” James started, before the rest of the stairwell above them collapsed inward.

“James!” She shouted, scrambling to her feet. Bits of the building and plant debris continued raining down until the door was completely blocked off.

“James!” She repeated. “Ashley!”

Her heart pounded as she waited for a reply. The corridor she was in was completely sealed off. If she was going to reach them at this point, it would have to be from the outside. She’d have to run to the balcony and find a way to jump over.

“Williams, Vega, respond.”

“We’re alive.” Ashley’s voice finally came through. Relief coursed through her veins. “Nothing broken, but Vega’s got his head knocked pretty hard.”

“Conscious?”

“Uh - yeah -”

The statement did not give her confidence. “How’s it looking – are you trapped?”

There was a pause and she strained against the debris as if being closer would help her hear better.

“We can probably make it down two levels – doesn't look like the cave in went further than that." She paused. "No – Vega, wait - ” The com went silent for a second. “We’d have to scale the outside to do it – don't think Vega is quite ready – still a bit loopy.”

Shepard helped the mech up. “I should be able to make my way over, I’ll give a hand.”

“We’re good – medi-gel needs a sec to kick in.”

She hesitated, resisting the urge to tell them to head back down. It was an alien planet, either they all continued, or they all returned. There were too many variables against them if they separated.

“I’m heading to the exterior - see if I can get a better vantage point for you.”

“Understood.”

Shepard strode forwards, leaving the mech to follow in her wake.

“Commander, can you turn on your body-cam? While you’re helping them, we’d like to get an idea of what’s there – see if we can make sense of it.”

"Nice priorities, Doctor." She knew it wasn’t intentional on their part, but the scientists were starting to annoy the fuck out of her. There was a time and place for scientific curiosity, and it wasn’t when a person’s wellbeing was at risk. Shepard was a good soldier though, she'd do what they asked - eventually. Didn't mean she wouldn't let them stew in silence for a bit. 

The exit at the end of the corridor was open, but completely overgrown. There was a moment where she was tempted to just start firing an opening through the dense greenery, but good sense won against the bad idea. Instead, she unsheathed the knife strapped to her belt. It was standard issue weaponry for an N7 and she was pretty sure this was the very first time she found herself needing to use it. Never much use for close quarters melee combat these days.

The tedious process of hacking away at the thick fibrous vines began; they completely covered the looming metal doorframe. The LOKI mech stood silent, staring at her as she carved away at the overgrown flora. The damn thing was unnerving – no that wasn’t right, these mech’s were a dime a dozen across Alliance vessels and she never gave them a second thought. It was the dead and wild ruins she stood in, the absolute silence of the world, the feeling that she was desecrating a mausoleum, this is what unnerved her. Made her want the presence of a living being at her back, not some silent, unfeeling security bot.

Finally, her efforts to cut through to the next room were met with success. Sheathing the knife, she carefully peered through the opening and pulled away the leftover straggling plants. Ahead, the area was deeply shadowed from the sun’s natural light.

Activating her comm, she leaned back into the hallway. “I've made it through to the destination point. Area appears empty – from where I stand there aren’t any other obvious exits.” She made sure her armor’s body-cam was recording. “Recording has started, nerds – let me know if there’s anything that catches your eye, but first priority is Vega and Williams.”

“Funny.” Came Dr. Cole’s voice, with a distinct lack of humour. “And understood.”

Peeking through once again, she noted an upper mezzanine that lined the top of it. Perfect for an ambush. Plant growth had forced its way through the old, abandoned building, and here was no exception. Rows of pillars had broken apart or fallen over making her wonder if this was a condition of time or attack. The balcony was partially covered, except for its center. A humming machine sat all alone underneath a circular opening, and it struck her that it did not belong. As if others added it much later. It looked to be made of the same material as the devices affixed to the Hastings. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the mech.

“Go on. Scout ahead.” Crouching, she followed the mech, chafing once again at its slow pace. Inaction made her restless – she wanted to reach the others as quickly as possible, but the layout of the room made her uneasy. It had to be cleared first.

Up ahead of them sat a crumbled pillar, her destination. She’d set up shop against it and try running scans while in the relative safety of its shadow. Feeling unnerved, she clicked through to Williams.

“You two holding up?”

“Yep, we’re almost-”

They made a few feet of progress before an explosive cracking noise reverberated throughout the empty room. Above her, the mech’s robotic head shattered. It walked a few feet further before collapsing.

“Shit, fuck.” Shepard breathed, adrenaline spiking, heart racing. “Damn.”

In desperation she rolled into a somersault, clearing the distance between her and the pillar. Her back slammed against the crumbling ruin and she braced herself while trying to gauge where the shot came from. Concerned chatter began filling her earpiece, but her brain had de-evolved into survival mode. The questions and commands were not filtering through yet. Mattock in hand, she took several deep breaths and gambled her life for a look around the pillar. Nothing. She tucked back behind the solid structure and calculated the safest way back to the corridor. If this was a turret or a sharpshooter, she doubted any route would provide safety.

Seconds passed – an eternity – before she heard a gentle thud. Slowly, Shepard looked around the pillar, looking in the direction of the noise. A strip of faint blue light about six or seven feet off the ground illuminated a shadowy figure. They stepped out into the dim light filtering in through the crumbling ceiling. The strip of light appeared to be worn as an eyepiece or visor. Her breath caught in her throat. Fucking hell. Spikes protruded like a crest from the top of the alien’s head. From this distance the skin looked rough and metallic. The claws and mandibles made her gut twist.

The third race.

This was no mindless alien bug like on the station. However, in this moment she felt sympathy for Leng. It was one thing to know of aliens, it was a completely other thing to come face to face with one. She could see why he might have fired unprovoked. She might have done the same if not for the uncovered holograms. But here she was, a damn marine. Humanity’s existence boiled down to this moment. First contact. It should have been with diplomats, scholars, scientists. But here she was – a soldier – it felt like a cosmic fluke. Hell, she hoped the history books would be kind.

The alien called out in a language she had no way of understanding. They stepped towards her, this time raising their voice. To her ears it sounded like an angry animal. Every word spoken had a flanged effect – usually a technique reserved for horror vids, telling the audience that this was a monster, or a person possessed. They spoke again, their voice louder, and to her ears – angrier. The footsteps continued, the alien growing closer to her position.

“Fuck.” She whispered.

Holding up her hands, palms facing outwards – the mattock’s muzzle pointed skyward, she slowly stepped away from the edge of the pillar. At once the other raised what was clearly a rifle of some sort.

Hands up. Would they even understand what this gesture meant? She hoped her empty palms had enough universal leverage to translate as “unarmed” and “don’t shoot”. If this was anything other than the alien equivalent of, we come in peace, she was fucked.

The alien paused and the muzzle of their weapon lowered slightly. Heart racing, she finally reached a point where her brain acknowledged the chaos in her earpiece. Ashley and James had made it safely passed the cave in and were awaiting orders. With a subtle gesture, she opened the line.

“Stand by.” She whispered. The last thing this situation needed was two more fully armed marines charging in.

“This appears to be a male of the third species.” Dr. Cole’s spoke quietly, but fear was apparent in her voice. The alien looked like the one in the hologram. This one had blue face markings and was heavily armored. Had the two arms, two legs, two eyes of a humanoid – something which felt oddly comforting. She wasn’t sure she could handle a tentacle monster right now. This humanoid dinosaur-cat-bird was more than enough.

The alien called out again but didn’t move any closer.

Shepard rapped against the side of her helmet, trying to signal she didn’t understand. He held up his gun and motioned it towards the ground, miming setting the weapon at his feet. Nodding, she slowly lowered the Mattock to the ground.

“Give me anything.” Shepard hissed into her mic. “A word, something. Have you translated anything?”

Dr. Cole made a garbled yelp and other panicked noises. Shepard could easily picture her scrambling for her research, a whirlwind of chaos tearing through her lab. “Ok, play this file. Amplify it.”

The file popped up in her HUD. Without questioning, she played it as loud as she could. There was no metric for her to judge, but to her untrained ears it kind of sounded like his words. He paused and looked around the area before turning his full attention back to her. She played it again.

He began walking towards her, with his weapon at the ready. The alien tried saying more words, and they reached her ears as ineffectually as the last. She fought against the twitchy reflex to grab the gun and back away.

It might have been her imagination, but she felt she recognized enough of a pattern in the words to understand he was speaking slower. Ha – so apparently that was a universal thing.

He stopped a few meters away and stared down at her. Hell, she hoped that was a thoughtful expression. He was inspecting her, looking her over. Maybe trying to gauge who she was – what she was? The faceplate on her helmet was completely shielded – there was no way for him to see what she looked like. He reached up and pressed a small panel at the neck of his armor and a helmet formed over his head. He pressed it again and it disappeared into the collar. After a beat, he gestured towards her. She had a pretty good idea at what he was trying to convey. He might suspect something to be off about her, but she saw the images of the other aliens. It was possible she could pass as the first race while under her armor.

“You - probably shouldn’t-.” Lawson started.

“Definitely do not take off your helmet. We have no way of inoculating you-” Cole finished.

When she didn’t make any motion to comply, the muzzle of his gun raised, and his voice grew louder.

“Fuck.” This was First Contact. They’d never have this opportunity again. If she died from the space flu, what an epically shitty way to go. Make it this far and die from some unknown alien pathogen. “Gonna take one for the team, guys.” She muttered. The others began protesting, but she wasn’t the one who was going to cause an incident on behalf of their entire race because she pissed off the first sentient alien they met. Moving her hands to the neck of her armor, she pulled at the latches and listened to the soft hiss of escaping air as she removed her helmet. The alien took a step back and tilted his head as he looked at her – maybe he was expecting someone from the first race. If so, the sight of her might be a tad shocking. Did he understand what her presence meant?

Shepard tried imagining this from his point of view. She doubted she looked intimidating. Certainly not when compared to him. She was short for a human; shorter than the alien by nearly two whole feet. Her curly hair was braided tightly against her skull, but prolonged helmet wear caused unruly curls to spring up like a mane around her face. Skin was squishy with little to no protective qualities.

Beyond that, some extinction event caused the rest of the Milky Way to vanish with little trace as of why or how. And here the humans were, mucking about, kicking up dust, ignorantly taunting whatever force caused this to happen in the first place. It wasn’t a good look.

After a moment, he seemed to compose himself and activated some sort of orange holo-gauntlet across his armored forearm. He spoke into it, having a conversation with someone on the other end. Looking back down at her, he walked a little closer and imitated her hands. After holding them up, he lowered them to his side, and did this a few times before she caught on and lowered her own arms. Satisfied, he continued his conversation with whoever was speaking through that orange hologram. They spoke with a soft and gentle voice. Was it someone from the same race? It sounded completely different to this alien’s voice, yet they both seemed to understand each other. She hoped this damn footage was proving useful to the team back on the Hastings. The reminder she had a live audience strengthened her resolve to remain on her best behaviour, emotions would be high; she didn’t want to give the trigger happy amongst them an excuse to run in on her behalf. The slow creep towards understanding each other was going to be infuriating. Too many questions and no way to ask them. She was excited, but the danger of the situation left adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her hands itched for the Mattock at her feet, and once again, she actively resisted the urge to arm herself.

A sharp inhalation induced a coughing fit. The air had a weird taste and smell – leaving her wary to breathe it. The paranoia that any inhale could be deadly was ever present. Another coughing fit caused by an irritation in the throat - she hoped - and nothing else. The alien watched curiously until she stopped, and then motioned to her. She watched while he typed something across the orange holo-screen. The unmistakable image of the Milky Way hovered above his arm, tinted orange as with the rest of the device.

He pointed at one of its spiral arms and the view zoomed in. He dropped his hand and it zoomed back out. The image of the galaxy was askew – it was presented from an angle she wasn’t familiar with. Humans tended to display the image with Sol’s spiral arm closest to the viewer. He gestured towards her. Eyeing the alien, she reached over and pointed towards the same area he had. Did he want her to manipulate the map?

Nothing happened, the image remained stationary. Confusion set as she remained unable to interact with the image. What did he want her to do? His chest piece heaved slightly, and a faint rumble echoed what she could only describe as a chuckle. Was it a laugh? If so, even their laugh had that odd, flanged effect. Great - Commander Shepard, intrepid explorer and enough of a dumbass that even aliens laugh at her expense. Regardless, she grinned – happy they were communicating in what she hoped was a positive manner. He waved his gloved hand at her and pointed at his finger (claw?) tips. In an over-exaggerated gesture, he pointed to himself, his fingers, and then at the same point on the map. What was he trying to say?

“Is this where you’re from?” She asked, confused. She realized he had no way of knowing what she was asking, it didn’t stop her from asking. He repeated the gesture but pulled off the glove. This time nothing happened to the image. He pulled the glove back on, and once again the image zoomed in.

“Ok, ok. The glove lets you use the tech, I get it.” She looked closer at the zoomed in image. He zoomed in again and displayed a slowly rotating planet. She recognized the world. Enough oddly shaped land masses to realize it was this one, the one they were standing on.

Shepard looked up excitedly and gestured to the area. “We’re on this planet!” She pointed towards the edge of the balcony and to the horizon beyond, before pointing towards the orange tinted image of the planet. “We are here.”

He bowed his head to one side and seemed to be motioning encouragingly. She assumed. She hoped.

“This is - incredible." She exclaimed; a goofy grin plastered across her face. The fear and weight of this meeting was beginning to be forgotten with her excitement. Her enthusiastic response had nothing to do with the planet, but the fact they seemed to be communicating with some degree of success. His chest made the rumbling noise again. A laugh?

The image zoomed back out to the Milky Way, and she watched as he hovered his hand over a slightly different part before zooming in until a different planet was displayed. Alien text scrawled across the screen. He lay his hand against his chest, tapping his chest a couple times before pointing towards the planet.

“You’re from this planet?” She said while pointing to him and then to the planet.

He tilted his head once more, and she decided to assume this was a sign of affirmation. The image zoomed out once more and Shepard stared at the image, trying to orient herself to view the galaxy as it is usually displayed. After a moment of awkward shuffling, she found herself unable to point to Sol. She knew exactly where it was, that wasn’t the problem. While she was fine endangering herself for diplomatic purposes, she would not endanger her entire race.

He repeated the show and tell, showing the planet and then pointing to himself, before gesturing to her. Shaking her head, she stepped away from him. He watched her and she realized he had no point of reference to understand what she was doing, so she held up hands once more. Not wanting to give up, he zoomed in until the Charon Relay appeared, followed by an arrangement of darkened spheres, one for each of Sol’s planets. So, his galaxy map had their system, but apparently little detail of it. Shepard couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. It felt a little strange to discover aliens might have known about your corner of the galaxy, well before you knew anything about them.

“He must be with the people responsible for leaving the beacon.” Dr. Cole’s voice was excited. “They left the beacon for us to find, they would have known we existed.”

He pulled up another relay, and beyond that a darkened system. Worlds with no details, no alien script. Was it a threat? Was it a question? She had no idea. 

A chiming noise resounded and the holo map was taken over by another alien face. They spoke words in a chirpy language that this alien listened to intently. The conversation took somewhat of a heated turn. He snapped his head up towards the center machine and barked a command. The connection dropped. The machine's hum began picking up in frequency.

The alien picked up her helmet and shoved it in her hands, while pressing the button to cover his head as well. He pushed her towards the door she had entered as the hum ratcheted up into a piercing whine. A familiar searing white light surrounded her, and her head throbbed. She screamed in frustration as her legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Whatever had happened on the Hastings was happening again, and whatever it was - it wasn't restricted to humans. As she blinked out of consciousness, the alien wavered on his feet before collapsing next to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I wanted to leave a note as this chapter is what popped in my head before I ever decided to write a ME AU. In case it wasn't clear the first contact alien is Garrus. When I was thinking of an AU I couldn't stop thinking of the idea of Garrus and Shep being the ones to make first contact. The main reason for this is very boring: being a cop on the Citadel I just imagine the hundreds of people he had to deal with who either had terrible translators OR no translators at all, forcing him to learn to communicate without language with all these different aliens. In my headcanon he would be the best option to talk to a human mainly because he just wouldn't overthink it (whispers: is it just me or does Garrus and Shep-yes even femshep-both give off himbo vibes). I also feel like their bff energy (at least in my playthroughs) transcends AUs and cultural and linguistic understanding, lol.


	9. Lost in Translation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Shepard and the crew on the Hastings struggle to understand recent events.

A repeated soft hum and ticking filtered through to Shepard’s addled, groggy mind. Was she back on the Hastings? The air felt weird. Wasn’t the right temperature. Wanting to roll over, she found she couldn’t - something restricted her movement. Breathing still irritated her throat and as she took a deep breath, a coughing fit wracked her chest. Her vision blurred as she opened her eyes. Reaching to clear them, her arm caught. Pulling her arm again, she realized it was bound to a point above her head. 

_What the hell?_

The fog of unconsciousness began to clear, the events on the balcony started rushing back. She sat up; dizziness caused her surroundings to spin. The room was stark and sterile. Cots, as the one she was bound to, lined the edges. A med-bay, she presumed. Looking down at herself, she appeared unharmed. She didn’t feel any undue pain. They had removed her armor and equipment, leaving only the body suit for protection. It could deflect a weak knife attack, perhaps a bit of shrapnel. Wouldn’t do much for gunfire or a direct assault. 

Colourful holo displays rested against various surfaces, showing images and symbols she had no way of understanding. Large windows were built into each wall, showing a dimly lit room beyond. Turning back to her arm, she tested the cuff for seams or weaknesses. None of the sort. 

No one seemed to be observing her. If they were watching through a security camera, no one was close enough to make introductions. Shepard sat cross-legged on the cot, weighing her options. It would seem, by all accounts, she had been abducted. This complicated First Contact protocols. 

On the other hand, how would a human contingent handle a heavily armed alien poking around Mars? All things in consideration, she reasoned. She was of the opinion that what had happened was nothing proper communication couldn't solve. Now if they didn't let her leave - well, she'd cross that bridge if it happened. Sighing, she turned around to examine the handcuff. They built them sturdy. The pole it was attached to however, was a different story. Looked to be a support pole bracing a folded device against the wall. Medical in nature, perhaps? A scanner? Whatever the case, unlike the cuffs, the pole had seams. Possible weaknesses. 

She wrapped her hand around the cuff and pulled. The pole gave a little but remained resolutely in place. Shifting and contorting into a position that allowed a bit of leverage, she leaned back and stomped just above the lower seam. Stomping again, the pole began to buckle. Twice more, and it wrenched out of its secure socket. 

Free, in a manner of speaking. Shepard rolled off the cot and went straight for the door. It looked nearly identical to the ones she had gone through in the tower – only not subject to the ravages of time and nature. Not a good sign. Without a mech to brute force their way through, these doors were a hell of an obstacle. A green square hovered over the center of the door. She ran her hands through it. Just a hologram. After inspecting and pushing at the door, she started walking the perimeter of the room, reaching out to each holo display she passed. Reasonable to assume that unless she obtained gloves like the ones worn by the alien, she would not be able to interface with any of the holo-displays. At the other end of the room, movement from beyond the window caught her eye. Squinting, she shielded her eyes from the overhead lights to try and see what was hiding in the shadows. It only took a few seconds to recognize the silhouette. The alien from the balcony, the one from the third race. 

He lay across a cot like the one she woke up in, but with the added perk of keeping his armor. Didn’t look like he was detained either. The cot was by itself, the only one she could see on the other side of the window. He stirred and she tapped the window. A bit of a buzz ran up her arm. She looked closer at the window – a security field, perhaps? Stepping back, she raised her hand and used the cuff as a makeshift battering ram. It bounced off, snapping her hand back. 

“Hey!” She shouted. She hit the window again. “Wake up!” 

The alien woke with a start, looking around wildly before turning to her. She gestured to the door. If he understood what she was asking, he didn’t act on it. Turning around, Shepard moved to the wall, feeling for seams or hinges, hoping to find a panel, anything to help in this situation. 

“What is going on!” She shouted; her efforts fruitless. “Where am I?” 

All around her, the holo displays went blank. They blinked in and out before displaying something out of place in this alien room. Letters scrolled across the screen in a loop. Letters forming words she could understand. 

P A T I E N C E 

T R A N S L A T I O N P R O G R E S - - - S S S S S W 

Y O U - - - [S H E H E R T H E Y T H E M H E H I M] 

Q U A R A N T I N E 

Shepard stared at the scrawling letters, trying to form a plan but nothing came to mind. After a few minutes of fruitless staring, she continued her patrol around the perimeter of the room, poking and pulling at cabinets, at ridges, at panels. Everything had been locked and secured. Doubtful they would have kept her equipment in the room. She returned to the window she tried to break. The alien was there, watching her. She lifted herself up on the nearby cot and hunkered down, staring back at him. 

He got hit with the same effect as her but wasn’t detained. He did not seem happy with how things unfolded. It was a gut feeling, with almost zero empirical evidence. If he was fine with the chain of events, why did he try to get her to put on the helmet and usher her back into the corridor? Despite not having a single solid reason to trust him, she trusted him. An instinct. 

The headache intensified and Shepard reached up to untie her braids. It provided a modicum of relief. Whatever they were doing to make her go unconscious couldn’t be good for the brain. 

“How localized is that – blast?” She knew they couldn’t understand her, but it did her good to talk out loud. “Are all my people unconscious? Is my ship safe?” 

The thought of James and Ashley lying unconscious under a precarious layer of caved in stairwell left her restless. It might be impossible to escape where she was, but she needed to figure out how to communicate with the Hastings. First step would be accessing her armor. Shepard turned to the spiky headed alien. He turned from watching her to staring at a holo screen sprouting out from his arm. Minutes passed and symbols began scrawling across it. A few minutes more and he looked back to her. Offering up his arm in her direction, the holo-screen changed and displayed a bird's eye view of the Hastings. She stared at it, wondering what he was trying to accomplish. Movement in the bottom right corner drew her gaze and she watched two figures walk slowly towards the ship. The image zoomed in and she watched as James and Ashley walked towards the ship. Even through their armour, they looked defeated. Relief filled her. Defeated, maybe – but still alive. 

* * *

“Have a seat, Dr. Cole.” 

Brynn Cole sat down next to Miranda, and they shared a brief look of nervous commiseration. Alec Ryder and David Anderson stared at them from across the desk. 

“Sorry. Nerves.” She laughed, and it exuded anxious energy. The men stared back, stone-faced. Brynn knew she could be a little oblivious when it came to the soldiers, but she loved a good rumour. And the rumour mill amongst the military half of the ship strongly believed the translation she sent to the Commander triggered the aliens into hostile actions.

“The translated audio you sent to Shepard; whatever she played to the alien, what was it meant to say?” 

“Uh -” Brynn swallowed her annoyance and fumbled for the info on her datapad. She had hoped the captain would rise above the rest of the hearsay. “It was just a basic statement - we are not enemies. We wish to share knowledge.” 

Anderson leaned forwards. “How certain are you that the aliens would understand it this way? Could it have been misinterpreted?” 

Brynn had poor decorum on a good day, she certainly did not retain it today. “Maybe?! How can any of us know, honestly. There was zero evidence that the aliens meant us harm. Why would they leave beacons for us? You have to understand how intricate they are, there’s no way that much effort would be put into a trap-” Her words spilled out in a hurry, as if she was trying to fit them all in one breath. 

Anderson pinched the bridge of his nose, while Ryder held his head in hand, looking as if to stave off a headache. 

Miranda put a comforting hand on Brynn’s arm, and looked to the others. “We’re charting new territory, quite literally – and as smart as we are, much of our progress is going to be trial and error I’m afraid.” 

The others nodded and Anderson sat back in his chair, weary. “We have two main objectives now. Find Shepard. This takes top priority.” 

“We also need to find a way to counteract the field that keeps knocking us out. What do we have so far?” Ryder added. 

Brynn took a moment to gather herself, before pulling up the relevant data. Simply by being on this planet was triggering the beacon to reveal more information than ever before, something that would have taken priority just 24 hours previously. Staying in her lab for most of the voyage it was easy to forget the dangers of what they were doing. To only focus on the excitement of discovery. Now there was a ship full of marines who – whether it was fair or not – found fit to lay the blame of Shepard’s disappearance on her and Miranda. 

After giving her a concerned look, Miranda looked towards Ryder. “Sensors show the energy field was the same one that hit us while we were in orbit, only it wasn’t accompanied with a pulse to knock out the ship’s systems this time.” 

Brynn looked at what little information she had, annoyed she was answering inane questions, rather than helping find the Commander. Breathing deeply, she continued. “Unconsciousness did not last as long this time around. Optimistically, perhaps in time we are building a resistance to its effects? We can’t be sure unless we are hit again.” 

She sighed. It wasn’t even a theory; it was a blind guess. A hope. 

Miranda pulled up the recording from Shepard’s bodycam. “We are working on a solution for that, in the meantime we have managed a partial translation.” She moved playback to the appropriate timestamp. “'Our' alien begins speaking with someone we can identify as a member of the first race.” 

A translation began, using the computers modulated voice. Brynn had already heard it, unfortunately it would be a one-sided conversation until the rest was deciphered. The alien looks away from Shepard and begins speaking to someone through his gauntlet's comm. The familiar voice of the Hastings computer translated over the soft voice of whoever he was speaking with.

 _An enemy?_

The spiky headed alien responded - his part of the conversation remaining a mystery. 

_Who are they_?

Another unintelligible sentence.

_Known or unknown [race/species]?_

Pause.

_They are not a prisoner. Put them at ease._

The group of them watched in silence as the alien looked at Shepard curiously, before motioning her to lower her hands. Once she did, he returned to his conversation. 

_Find out if they are from the hidden systems. If even one [race/species] survived-_

Shepard began a coughing fit that drowned out the rest of the conversation. 

“Hidden systems?” Both Ryder and Anderson repeated, nearly simultaneous. 

“Yes, we have nothing to add – there's no reference to hidden systems in either the prothean or beacon data. There is a possibility that our translation is slightly off. There could be context we are missing.” 

“When can we expect a translation of the rest of the footage?” 

“Soon. Hopefully. We have found the other languages to be – difficult.” Miranda leaned closer to Ryder. "Sir, you were involved with machine learning and AI, do you have access to anything that might help speed this along?"

Ryder gave her an odd look before shaking his head. "No, unfortunately that's all back on Earth. You can thank the government's moratorium for that."

Brynn scowled, not interested in discussing the ethics of AI research. “We'd be working faster if we weren't being called in to answer pointless questions.” 

“Brynn!” Miranda started. 

Anderson waved his hand, “No she’s right. We need a solution asap. Please, get back to work – but keep me in the loop.” 

Miranda nodded. “Will do.” 

Brynn was already out of her chair, making her way for the door. Miranda followed slowly behind.

* * *

They entered the lab and Brynn made a beeline to her station, sitting down in a huff. Miranda moved to her own station, trying to consider the situation from every angle. Fact of the matter was that the commander had been abducted by aliens. Hell, it felt strange to even have the thought. A peaceful resolution was starting to look unlikely. Knowledge might give them the upper hand, but discovery didn’t happen on a timetable. There was so much to accomplish, and it was all expected to be done immediately. Some of the smartest brains were on this ship, but there were still limits to what they could learn, what they could decode. 

As she sat down, her display pinged. A new message was waiting for her. Oddly enough, it was a message from her own account. 

_hello_ _miranda_

She turned to look at Brynn, who was sifting through data collected from the energy field. 

“Did you send me a message?” 

“Huh?” Brynn looked over at her with a furrowed brow. “Was I supposed to send something?” 

“No, nevermind.” 

Another message appeared, this time with attachments, detailing all her private investigations into Ryder’s mystery project. The reason for him joining this expedition. Shortly after their discussion, her curiosity got the better of her; she wanted to know why he was so desperate to search the station, and if it would endanger the rest of the mission. If it didn't, she was fine with letting him keep his secrets. But who could have accessed her profile? A rising panic threatened her better sensibilities, but she took a deep breath and typed out an innocuous greeting. 

_Who is this?_

A second or two pause. 

_i_ _am what you are looking for._ _i_ _can help._


End file.
